Step Eight brings us into the subject of metaphors. As we move deeper into the process of better understanding, finding additional ways to look at our decks, expanding our present tool kit and confidence levels, we find ourselves being challenged. That's the hallmark of a good teacher. This step challenges us. It may be that this STEP EIGHT will take each of us a while to consider, to respond.

The book gives us a list of metaphors for the Five of Pentacles. Rather than just read them, I suggest we each spend several moments considering each one and the images in the Waite-Smith and Robin Wood decks to really feel these metaphors.

We have each chosen a deck and card to focus on. Step Eight challenges us to really expand our view of our chosen deck beyond just our focus card.
** 8-1-1; Find other metaphors for the Five of Pentacles in your chosen deck. Use the image that is on the card.
** 8-1-2; Find phrases that relate specifically to the number five and to the suit of pentacles. Mary Greer reminds us that these phrases, being generally related to "fives" or to "pentacles" may not have the sharpness or intensity that you feel for/from the card image.
** 8-1-3; Which phrases noted in 8-1-2 do not work for you? Which do? When you consider these final choices then you have made a highly personal list that can serve as a model for many lists for your decks cards.

Wait, there is more!

Other metaphoric tools are noted in the book. Two exercises are given for us to do. I am suggesting that we split this step into two parts, leaving the work in steps 8-2 for a second posting. I'll introduce this second part later in the week. I think what has been put before us in this posting is important, and I would like to see us throw our whole selves into this. Given the diversity of decks we are using it will be very educational for each of us to study what the others have posted. I would also encourage others to join in this exercise to help themselves -- this is really getting exciting. Dave.

** 8-1-1; Find other metaphors for the Five of Pentacles in your chosen deck. Use the image that is on the card.

-down and out
-insult to injury
-out of the darkness & into the light
-sucked dry
-down but not out
-hope springs eternal
-pennies from heaven
-look for the silver lining
-hidden blessings
-so close & yet so far
-the weight of the world
-a test of faith
-the naked truth
-holding out hope
-keeping the faith
-sunday morning comin' down
-uphill climb
-darkest before the dawn
-dark night of the soul
-cold hands, warm heart
-trail of tears
-a breath of fresh air
-misery loves company
-keeping body & soul together

Quote:

** 8-1-2; Find phrases that relate specifically to the number five and to the suit of pentacles. Mary Greer reminds us that these phrases, being generally related to "fives" or to "pentacles" may not have the sharpness or intensity that you feel for/from the card image.

-proofs in the puddin'
-safe passage
-home is where the heart is
-a life less ordinary
-to err is human, forgive, Divine
-critical care
-safety in numbers
-time heals all wounds
-bringing down the house
-mother's little helper
-by the same token...
-calm after the storm
-no pain, no gain
-haste makes waste
-long & winding road
-cruisin' for a bruisin'
-when one door closes, another opens
-good things come to those who wait
-practice makes perfect
-a work in progress

Quote:

** 8-1-3; Which phrases noted in 8-1-2 do not work for you? Which do? When you consider these final choices then you have made a highly personal list that can serve as a model for many lists for your decks cards.

The one's that work:

-proofs in the puddin'
-home is where the heart is
-time heals all wounds
-safety in numbers
-by the same token
-calm after the storm
-no pain, no gain
-haste makes waste
-when one door closes, another opens
-good things come to those who wait
-a work in progress

Fey Tarot; Five of Pentacles.
Several Fey's sit around a glowing, large Pentacle with flames inscribed upon it. They are within a warm-feeling room, sitting on cushions, with a tea-pot and cups before them. Behind them is a large window looking out to a star-filled sky. A large dark creature with white glowing eyes is outside, looking in at them.

METAPHORS FOR THIS CARD:

* Snug as a bug in a rug.
* A fire warms the heart and the hands.
* Baby, its cold outside.
* Safe and secure.
* Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

PHRASES THAT RELATE TO "FIVE" AND TO "PENTACLES":

Note that Appendix B in the book provides keywords for numbers, Appendix C has keywords for suits. These may help start your thinking processes.

Keywords for Five, plus phrases.

* Destabilization; "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf" acknowledges the fear or awareness that a comfortable situation can be threatened by external forces.

* Adversity; "Fight or flight." In my deck/card, neither "fight" or "flight" seems to at hand -- typical of the Fey. They see things as they really are and this external monster's place is outside.

* Uncertainty; "What, me worry?" (Alfred E. Neuman of MAD magazine) This phrase and card image seems to suggest that you can worry about that which you can do something about, and not worry about what you can't change.

Keywords for Pentacles, plus phrases.

* Security; "Snug as a bug in a rug." While most Fives-of-Pentacles cards show scenes of destitution and a possible search for security, this deck-card shows that security places oneself in a warm place and threats in another place -- a form of personal vision and sense of place within the universe.

* Grounding, centeredness; "A fire warms the heart and the hands." Warmth and a place in the world is a matter of both inner and outer balance and self esteem. Our attitude is a force within itself. On those five cards where we see a pair walking thru the cold, past a church window, their attitude and balance are not attuned -- otherwise they might see the path to help and re-balancing.

My short list does not have phrases that don't work for me relative to the Fey Tarot and Five of Pentacles card. If I was to use the list relative to the Waite-Smith card, the phrase "Safe and secure" is most inappropriate. The Fey and W-S decks look at this situation from opposite sides of the situation. If we look at the Robin Wood card, we see that one figure has given up while the other is determined to continue searching. This suggests that one has to persevere in working themselves out of a bad situation and that giving up is a sure disaster.

COMMENT:

Already I can see that I am becoming more critical about how I see cards and their imagrey and how that fits/clashes with "standard" meanings. These clashes of meaning are not so much a replacement of one meaning with another meaning, but do seem to be an enrichment factor. I would expect that by the time we finish these 21 steps at the Apprentice level that we will be able to better synthesize cards meanings relative to each other, relative to their place within a spread's position-meanings, relative to the querent's questions. Dave

The thought about "Metaphors and Reversals" came to me as I was looking at my Fey Tarot and the Five of Pentacles. For those who missed my description of the card there, I noted:

Several Fey's sit around a glowing, large Pentacle with flames inscribed upon it. They are within a warm-feeling room, sitting on cushions, with a tea-pot and cups before them. Behind them is a large window looking out to a star-filled sky. A large dark creature with white glowing eyes is outside, looking in at them.

This card scene is quite the opposite of the Waite-Smith Five of Pentacles where two destitute figures wander in the snow and night, past the lighted window of a church, looking for help. Now, the Fey Tarot offers a scene that is just the opposite of this. So, should we think of a metaphor as being two sided in its meaning -- the obvious message, the hidden message? Will this expand our sense of what the card image can tell us? Will this help us to ask the right questions of a querent so as to better fit the card's messages to their life-context?

To carry this further, should we start to look at reversed cards in the sense of them being the flip side of a metaphor? Of course we should. But now that that has been said, will we do so? Will we gain deeper insights into those cards holding a reversed position? I believe this may be a fruitful discussion in its own right. If it does generate a lot of thought I'll ask the moderators to move it to a thread of its own -- or just start a thread -- so that a wider view can be brought into the discussion. Dave

8-1-1: Find other metaphors for the Five of Pentacles in your chosen deck. Use the image that is on the card.

Ask and you shall receive.
Seek and you shall find.
Pennies from heaven.
Food or famine.
Misery loves company.
Five and dime.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Window of opportunity.
Support in adversity.
Tried and true.

8-1-2: Find phrases that relate specifically to the number five and to the suit of pentacles.

Change through strife.
Live and let live.
Live and let die.
Agree to disagree.
Fight or flight.
Agony of defeat.
Divide and conquer.
The best is yet to come.
Practice makes perfect.
"The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe."

8-1-3: Which phrases noted in 8-1-2 do not work for you? Which do?

The ones that work for my card:

Change through strife.
Live and let die.
Agony of defeat.
The best is yet to come.

Hello, fellow followers of the 21 Ways. It seems I'm always catching up, but, once again (speaking of sayings) better late than never!

8-1-1 Metaphors/Sayings for Manga 5 Coins
A man and woman pray/bow at a small outdoor shirne with snow on the roof. There are snow-covered mountains in the background.

Hope (pray) for the best but expect the worst.
Cold hands, warm heart.
Bowing down to false idols.
Their clothes are old but never are they dirty. (Stevie Wonder, Living for the City)
The frost was cruel, when a poor man came is sight, gathering winter fuel. (Good King Wenceslas)
The Lord helps those who help themselves.

8-1-2

5s in Manga
Taking life too seriously.
In desperate straits.
Looking down.
(NOT looking on the bright side.)
Being on the wrong side of (something).
Every hand is against them.
Man without a country.
The mark of Cain.

5s in General
Change: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The only thing certain is change.
The only thing certain is death and taxes.

Limitation: Nothing lasts forever.
This too shall pass.
The walls are closing in.
Who will lend a helping hand?

Loss: Goodbye to all that.
The only one you can depend on is yourself.
Life's a bitch. Then you die.

Coins in Manga and in General
Green grow the rushes-O. (All the Manga coins cards are very green.)
Good-n-plenty.
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Can't buy me love!
The golden rule: He who has the gold makes the rules.
It's an ill wind that blows no good.
Money makes the world go around.
Money changes everything.
Easy come, easy go.

Nature/Earth aspect: All rites of pleasure are My rites.
Spring, when a young man's fancy turns to love.
Love in bloom.
Grounding.
Resting on the earth.
The earth accepts all.
Hope springs eternal.

8-1-3 The ones that work for 5 Coins
In desperate straits.
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Money changes everything.
Hope springs eternal.

Ah, a new card to work with -- and a rather disturbing one. The image in the Tarot of Prague shows a distraught woman sitting in the rain, holding an infant. Behind her is a cathedral with a rose window. The coloring is unusual -- all sepia toned except for five golden pentacles, one at each corner of the square frame that surrounds the window, the fifth at the center of the window. Many questions arise from this card. Is the baby dead? imperfect? unwanted? ill? stolen? What is the reason for the woman's distress?

Metaphors/proverbs for the Five of Pentacles in the Tarot of Prague:
- It never rains but it pours
- Till death us do part
- All wet
- (ironic) Religion is the opiate of the masses
- Shelter from the storm
- You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you'll get what you need
- A guilty conscience
- Out, out, brief candle
- To be, or not to be, that is the question

Phrases that relate to fives and pentacles:
- Money is the root of all evil
- The result is conflict
- The tribulations of attaining mastery of a skill
- Revolt against the physical

I found this second aspect of the exercise to be extremely difficult because it seemed overly abstract. For the first time, I'm dissatisfied with my results. But to persevere:

The first and second do not relate at all to the Five of Pentacles in the Tarot of Prague. The third and fourth only have marginal relationships. I would maintain that the first list is the one that I've made "my own".

8:1_1
Metaphors for the Five of Coins in my deck:
_Help for the asking*
_Look to the light*
_Heaven is just a heartbeat away*
_Open heaven’s windows*
_Come in out of the cold
_Can I help you
_Ask and you will receive*

8:1_2
Phrases that relate specifically to ‘five’ and ‘coins’:
_Blew the dead wood out*
_It gets worse before it gets better*
_Fell like a house of cards
_Rocked my world*
_Reaping what you’ve sown*
_Feeling the crunch
_If I could do it over again*

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